Conspiracy: Myanmar Authority Set Rohingya Homes on Fire at Violence-Hit Duchiradan Village to Mislead Foreign Observers

Maungdaw, Arakan: Around 8:30PM yesterday (i.e. on 28th January 2014), Rohingya homes at the west-hamlet of the violence-hit village, Duchiradan (Kilaidaung), southern Maungdaw, were set ablaze. Consequently, 17 Rohingya homes burnt into ashes. Initially, locals were unsure of how the fire started. Now, they have confirmed that it was a conspiracy by Maungdaw Police and Hlun Hteins (Security Force) and possibly by the instruction of higher officials from the central government of Myanmar like U Ye Htut.

A local Rohingya, who doesn’t want to be named, narrated the whole account as follows.

“Earlier, on 28th January 2014 afternoon, U Ye Htut said to the INGOs and Foreign Observers that we have been trying to stablize the situation since June 2012. They are the people who are trying to create unrest. They killed a Police officer. When we went to the village to look for the missing policeman, they started running away from their homes for no reason and so as to defame the government etc.

And around 4PM on 28th January 2014 afternoon, Head of the Security Force at the Maggyi-Chaung (Faatonzaa) Camp, Captain Aye Ngwe, Head of the Maungdaw Police, Inspector Thaung Htay, In-Charge of Regional Security Police (Nay-Htin), Sub-Inspector Htoo Htoo, a Deputy Lieutenant Police Win Tun Oo, Maungdaw Distric Police Head, U Shwe Thein gathered at the bazaar of Baggona village. Then, to avoid Rohingy people and secretly plot, they moved to the junction of road to the Rakhine villages in the east and Alay-Than-Kyaw Main Road, just few furlongs before the Baggona Bazaar if one travels from Maungdaw. They were plotting until 6PM of the day.

Subsequently, around 7:50PM of the day, some Rohingyas from Du-Nyaung-Pin-Gyi (Shaira Fara) village saw three Hlun Hteins (Security Force) carrying many bottles of petrol on their motorcycles and moving towards Duchiradan. When the fire started at around 8:30PM, some Rohingya men guarding the women and children (who were forcibly returned to their homes) at the east-hamlet of Duchiradan attempted to go to the west-hamlet to extinguish the fire. Same attempts were done by the villagers of Nurullah, Du-Nyaung-Pin-Gyi and Padin respectively. But Security Force and Military blocked the village from all sides and no one was allowed to go there to extinguish fire.”

Besides, this morning, Security Force Officer at the Baggona Base showed Superficial Sympathy or Fake Grief to the villagers calling the fire accidental. He said “the fire started as a couple in a house were quarrelling with each other. So, we feel sorry for that etc.”

“All in all, we are certain that this was a conspiracy carried out by the above-mentioned officers by the possible instruction from U Ye Htut. There are EU officials, ambassadors from a few embassies and some interational journalists are set to pay a visit to the village to observe the situation tomorrow. Hence, they carried out the conspiracy to prove U Ye Htut’s accusation against Rohingya people to the visiting foreign observers to be true. U Ye Htut’s accusation is that they (Rohingyas) burn down their own houses to defame the government amidst international community. Besides, Security Force didn’t burn down the big houses to make Ye Htut’s claim stronger and feel like more logical.

We really hope that the forthcoming foreign officials are well-experienced and knowledgeful on how Myanmar Regime lie with a straight face despite commiting crimes against humanity.”

Duchiradan is the village which was hit by the Myanmar-Regime-sponsored violence on 14thJanuary 2014. Myanmar and Security Force together with Rakhine terrorists mutiliated and killed around 50 innocent people. They raped women/girls. Rohingyas’ homes were destroyed and their properties were looted by Rakhine extremists. They arbitrarily arrested many people. More than 300 people are still missing. People believe they were also massacred.

Kabir Ahmed (age 14), from Duchiradan, with bullet wound. He was shot by the Security Force and Fortunately Escaped Alive (Photo Credit: Ali)